Thursday, May 12, 2011

Missed Opportunity: Transit and Jobs in Metropolitan America

Public transit is a critical part of the economic and social fabric of metropolitan areas. Nearly 30 million trips are made every day using public transit. Almost all of these trips occur in the nation’s 100 largest metro areas, which account for over 95 percent of all transit passenger miles traveled. People take transit for any number of reasons, but one of the most common is to get to work.

However, when it comes to the question of how effectively transit connects people and jobs within and across these metropolitan areas, strikingly little is known. With governments at all levels considering deep budget cuts, it is increasingly important to understand not just the location and frequency of transit service, but ultimately how well transit aligns with where people work and live. To better understand these issues, the Metropolitan Policy Program developed a comprehensive database that provides the first comparable, detailed look at transit coverage and connectivity across and within the nation’s major metro areas.

A Brookings Institution report gives the Capital Region a relatively strong ranking for access to public transportation, when measured against the nation's 100 largest metropolitan areas. Here's how the region compares to nearby areas in two key measurements.

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NYS Data Center Affiliates

The State Data Center (SDC) Program is one of the Census Bureau's longest and most successful partnerships. It is a cooperative program between the states and the Census Bureau that was created in 1978 to make data available locally to the public through a network of state agencies, universities, libraries, and regional and local governments.

The New York State Data Center operates through a network of Affiliate Data Centers throughout the State. These agencies maintain Census and related economic and demographic data and provide local information services to local government, business and the public.

This blog is NOT an official organ of the State Data Center program, its affiliates, the state of New York, or the U.S. Census Bureau.

Rather, it represents the point of view of the authors of the individual posts, and he or she alone.